Her Beautiful Dior
Among Yellow Roses [EDITING]
THE FIFTH PETAL
Her Beautiful Dior
OCTOBER 2012
Time passed far quicker than Aerin could have anticipated. In what felt like mere moments, nearly two years passed by in a flash. As she expected, things had changed between her and Minhyuk. From childhood friends they became, what she likened to, friends-with-benefits. With the change in their relationship, they had two unspoken rules. The first rule: if one of them wanted “company” then the other had to oblige and make time for them. Though it was more along the lines of, “When Minhyuk wanted to be comforted then Aerin always figured out a way to go see him, even if she had mountains of homework to do.” He never demanded that she make time for him, she always did it willingly—even when he would randomly show up at her apartment, unannounced. The second rule: don’t ask why. Neither needed to know why the other wanted their company, the answer was fairly obvious. If Aerin wanted to see Minhyuk, then Minhyuk assumed it had something to do with Minho. And, if Minhyuk wanted to see Aerin, then she knew it had something to do with Seolhyun.
At first it was because she was concerned for his mental health—having to constantly witness Seolhyun and Jooheon’s affections for each other. Though Minhyuk was always a positive person, even someone with the sunniest of dispositions was not immune to feeling depressed. However, after a while Aerin started to realize that she actually wanted Minhyuk to come see her, and the more he did the better she felt. And it wasn’t because of anything related to Minho, either; unlike Minhyuk who only wanted to see her when he needed comforting because of Seolhyun. It was because, slowly, she’d started to forget about her feelings for the older and started to develop stronger and stronger feelings for the younger. The deeper her feelings got the more she wanted to see him and the more she’d began to invite him over to her apartment. She knew that he thought Minho was the reason, but really it was just because she wanted to see him and to feel his arms around her. She’d unwittingly fallen out of one unrequited love and into the lap of another.
Although she and Minhyuk had felt each other’s bodies, touched each other in the most intimate of places, they’d never crossed the line and gone farther. Aerin knew that if that line was ever crossed she could never go back to thinking of Minhyuk as ‘just a friend.’ However, she was fairly certain that she was already beyond ever thinking of him as ‘just her childhood friend’ ever again. Her feelings were already at a maddening level that she felt like she’d become mildly obsessed with him—just like she’d been as a teenager and asked Minhyuk to sneak her pictures of Minho that she could stash in a scrapbook; which she’d hidden between her desk and the wall when she lived with her parents. Although she no longer felt the same sort of affection for Minho, she still kept the pictures—if only for the sake of pretense. She’d cherished every stolen moment Minhyuk had captured for her so much that she knew if she got rid of them Minhyuk would think something was up.
Aerin wasn’t able to collect pictures of Minhyuk the way she did when she liked Minho, but—instead—she thought about him more than she thought about anything else. She fantasized almost constantly what it would be like to be a lovey-dovey couple with the younger man. While cooking she imagined him wrapping his arms around her waist and whining about how he was hungry. Or, while she was watching TV, she would imagine him cuddling with her and her hair as they just enjoyed each other’s presence. She found herself constantly thinking about him and missing him—and it nearly drove her insane. The elder was going crazy for him and the idiot didn’t even realize it.
Now, after two years of intimate touching and kissing, Aerin sat in a dimly lit room—one of many witnesses to the marriage of Lee Minho to Park Minyoung. The spotlights in the room were focused solely on the bride and groom who were exchanging their vows. And, while everyone’s attention was on the couple, Aerin’s gaze never left Minhyuk—who sat at the table next to the one she sat at. When his mother leaned over to whisper something to him she watched as his lips spread into a wide and bright smile—his large teeth exposed and giving him a very youthful look.
Over the months that had passed, Aerin had become painfully aware of one thing. Minhyuk no longer smiled at her. She actually couldn’t even remember the last time he’d given her a genuine smile—not a teasing smirk or a pleased little upturn of his lips, but a real smile. It was almost like the deeper she fell in love with him the farther he felt from her. The days when they teased each other and joked around felt like they were almost a lifetime ago, even though it had only been a few short years. She knew that it was partially because she and Minhyuk didn’t see much of each other outside of when he would go to her apartment to receive—or presumably give—comfort. However, the few times they’d been together around their families it felt as though Minhyuk purposefully avoided being alone with her. It was as though, outside of her apartment, he was uncomfortable around her.
Aerin was thankful that she and her parents were some of the last guests to show up before Minho had to excuse himself to get in position to walk down the aisle. She had a feeling that if she and Minhyuk had bumped into each other outside of the wedding hall he would have pretended he didn’t see her. Or Minhyuk would have forced a smile and put on a charming boyfriend act—like he always did in front of their parents—all the while never once actually looking at her. Even then, as she stared at him for possibly twenty minutes, he never once ventured a glance in her direction.
With a defeated sigh she aggressively cut the steak on her plate and shoved the tender morsel into . She nearly choked when her brother leaned over and asked, “trouble in paradise?” Her head snapped in his direction and she stared at him wide eyed.
“W-what?” she asked. Her brother had a sly smile on his face as he nodded his head toward Minhyuk.
“You two are fighting aren’t you?” he asked.
“We’re not…” Aerin said, her face heating up with embarrassment. Placing her knife and fork down on the table, she stood up. “I have to go to the bathroom,” she said, quickly excusing herself, before practically powerwalking out of the grand hall.
The young woman splashed water on her face and looked up at her reflection. Her eyes moved down to the dress she’d specifically picked out for the occasion. She traced the intricate pattern on the beige material and then trailed up to her face. Her makeup was light, giving her a simple, yet flawless look. She thought Minhyuk would like it, maybe even tell her that she looked cute or pretty when he saw her—but now she realized how stupid she’d been for having such hopes.
With a paper towel she patted her face dry and, after adjusting her hair with a heavy exhale, made her way back to the wedding hall. She was a little surprised to see Minhyuk leaning against the wall next to the door, as though he were waiting for someone. Aerin stopped in her tracks and wondered for a moment if she should say something to him. Before she had the chance to even make a decision, Minhyuk lifted his head and their eyes met. Immediately her heart picked up its pace, excited that he’d finally noticed her presence. Taking a deep breath she walked over to him, now noticing that he held her small gold handbag.
“What are you doing out here?” she asked.
“Isn’t it obvious? We’re leaving,” he answered, pushing away from the wall. She blinked at him, confused.
“But it isn’t time to leave yet,” she said, dumbly.
“We’re going somewhere else. I already told our parents we had other plans,” Minhyuk said, walking past her. She looked at the door to the wedding hall before following Minhyuk, jogging a little to catch up to him. She had to reign in her excitement before she spoke.
“So, where are we going?” she asked, staring up at him.
“You’ll see,” he said, tauntingly. She pursed her lips and gave him a light glare before clicking her tongue and snatching her purse out of his hand. “Did you bring your car?” he asked as they exited the building.
She shook her head and said, “I left it at home and came with my parents.”
“So it’s at your parents’ house?” he asked and she nodded. “Good, you’ll need a change of clothes anyway,” he said.
Aerin blinked at him, a little surprised. “Are we spending the night somewhere?” she asked.
“Mmm,” he hummed as a reply. She swallowed thickly, her heart hammering excitedly inside of her chest and she had to bite back a smile. Since Busan she hadn’t spent the night away from home with Minhyuk.
At first it was because she was concerned for his mental health—having to constantly witness Seolhyun and Jooheon’s affections for each other. Though Minhyuk was always a positive person, even someone with the sunniest of dispositions was not immune to feeling depressed. However, after a while Aerin started to realize that she actually wanted Minhyuk to come see her, and the more he did the better she felt. And it wasn’t because of anything related to Minho, either; unlike Minhyuk who only wanted to see her when he needed comforting because of Seolhyun. It was because, slowly, she’d started to forget about her feelings for the older and started to develop stronger and stronger feelings for the younger. The deeper her feelings got the more she wanted to see him and the more she’d began to invite him over to her apartment. She knew that he thought Minho was the reason, but really it was just because she wanted to see him and to feel his arms around her. She’d unwittingly fallen out of one unrequited love and into the lap of another.
Although she and Minhyuk had felt each other’s bodies, touched each other in the most intimate of places, they’d never crossed the line and gone farther. Aerin knew that if that line was ever crossed she could never go back to thinking of Minhyuk as ‘just a friend.’ However, she was fairly certain that she was already beyond ever thinking of him as ‘just her childhood friend’ ever again. Her feelings were already at a maddening level that she felt like she’d become mildly obsessed with him—just like she’d been as a teenager and asked Minhyuk to sneak her pictures of Minho that she could stash in a scrapbook; which she’d hidden between her desk and the wall when she lived with her parents. Although she no longer felt the same sort of affection for Minho, she still kept the pictures—if only for the sake of pretense. She’d cherished every stolen moment Minhyuk had captured for her so much that she knew if she got rid of them Minhyuk would think something was up.
Aerin wasn’t able to collect pictures of Minhyuk the way she did when she liked Minho, but—instead—she thought about him more than she thought about anything else. She fantasized almost constantly what it would be like to be a lovey-dovey couple with the younger man. While cooking she imagined him wrapping his arms around her waist and whining about how he was hungry. Or, while she was watching TV, she would imagine him cuddling with her and her hair as they just enjoyed each other’s presence. She found herself constantly thinking about him and missing him—and it nearly drove her insane. The elder was going crazy for him and the idiot didn’t even realize it.
Now, after two years of intimate touching and kissing, Aerin sat in a dimly lit room—one of many witnesses to the marriage of Lee Minho to Park Minyoung. The spotlights in the room were focused solely on the bride and groom who were exchanging their vows. And, while everyone’s attention was on the couple, Aerin’s gaze never left Minhyuk—who sat at the table next to the one she sat at. When his mother leaned over to whisper something to him she watched as his lips spread into a wide and bright smile—his large teeth exposed and giving him a very youthful look.
Over the months that had passed, Aerin had become painfully aware of one thing. Minhyuk no longer smiled at her. She actually couldn’t even remember the last time he’d given her a genuine smile—not a teasing smirk or a pleased little upturn of his lips, but a real smile. It was almost like the deeper she fell in love with him the farther he felt from her. The days when they teased each other and joked around felt like they were almost a lifetime ago, even though it had only been a few short years. She knew that it was partially because she and Minhyuk didn’t see much of each other outside of when he would go to her apartment to receive—or presumably give—comfort. However, the few times they’d been together around their families it felt as though Minhyuk purposefully avoided being alone with her. It was as though, outside of her apartment, he was uncomfortable around her.
Aerin was thankful that she and her parents were some of the last guests to show up before Minho had to excuse himself to get in position to walk down the aisle. She had a feeling that if she and Minhyuk had bumped into each other outside of the wedding hall he would have pretended he didn’t see her. Or Minhyuk would have forced a smile and put on a charming boyfriend act—like he always did in front of their parents—all the while never once actually looking at her. Even then, as she stared at him for possibly twenty minutes, he never once ventured a glance in her direction.
With a defeated sigh she aggressively cut the steak on her plate and shoved the tender morsel into . She nearly choked when her brother leaned over and asked, “trouble in paradise?” Her head snapped in his direction and she stared at him wide eyed.
“W-what?” she asked. Her brother had a sly smile on his face as he nodded his head toward Minhyuk.
“You two are fighting aren’t you?” he asked.
“We’re not…” Aerin said, her face heating up with embarrassment. Placing her knife and fork down on the table, she stood up. “I have to go to the bathroom,” she said, quickly excusing herself, before practically powerwalking out of the grand hall.
The young woman splashed water on her face and looked up at her reflection. Her eyes moved down to the dress she’d specifically picked out for the occasion. She traced the intricate pattern on the beige material and then trailed up to her face. Her makeup was light, giving her a simple, yet flawless look. She thought Minhyuk would like it, maybe even tell her that she looked cute or pretty when he saw her—but now she realized how stupid she’d been for having such hopes.
With a paper towel she patted her face dry and, after adjusting her hair with a heavy exhale, made her way back to the wedding hall. She was a little surprised to see Minhyuk leaning against the wall next to the door, as though he were waiting for someone. Aerin stopped in her tracks and wondered for a moment if she should say something to him. Before she had the chance to even make a decision, Minhyuk lifted his head and their eyes met. Immediately her heart picked up its pace, excited that he’d finally noticed her presence. Taking a deep breath she walked over to him, now noticing that he held her small gold handbag.
“What are you doing out here?” she asked.
“Isn’t it obvious? We’re leaving,” he answered, pushing away from the wall. She blinked at him, confused.
“But it isn’t time to leave yet,” she said, dumbly.
“We’re going somewhere else. I already told our parents we had other plans,” Minhyuk said, walking past her. She looked at the door to the wedding hall before following Minhyuk, jogging a little to catch up to him. She had to reign in her excitement before she spoke.
“So, where are we going?” she asked, staring up at him.
“You’ll see,” he said, tauntingly. She pursed her lips and gave him a light glare before clicking her tongue and snatching her purse out of his hand. “Did you bring your car?” he asked as they exited the building.
She shook her head and said, “I left it at home and came with my parents.”
“So it’s at your parents’ house?” he asked and she nodded. “Good, you’ll need a change of clothes anyway,” he said.
Aerin blinked at him, a little surprised. “Are we spending the night somewhere?” she asked.
“Mmm,” he hummed as a reply. She swallowed thickly, her heart hammering excitedly inside of her chest and she had to bite back a smile. Since Busan she hadn’t spent the night away from home with Minhyuk.
When they arrived at home, Minhyuk had given her instructions to get everything she would need to spend the night out and then to meet him at her car in ten minutes. When they set out Aerin still didn’t know where they were going. Minhyuk simply put a destination into the GPS and they were off. So, when their destination turned out to be a cabin in the middle of the woods—which Minhyuk, once they reached a dirt road and the GPS could lead them no farther, had to give her directions to reach—Aerin was very confused.
“Uh… what is this place?” she asked.
“It’s my grandpa’s cabin. He comes here sometimes when he wants to get away from the city,” Minhyuk explained, reaching into the backseat for the bags of snacks and drinks they’d bought at a convenience store on the way. Aerin blinked, but followed his lead and grabbed their backpacks off the back passenger seat and made her way inside. Surprisingly the inside wasn’t all dusty, like she’d been expecting it to be. She guessed that it had been used, or at least cleaned, very recently.
When she looked around she saw pictures of various people she didn’t know, though there were a few of Minhyuk and Minho and their parents. There was one picture of Minhyuk, around two or three years old, sleeping on a young Minho’s back. She let out a small chuckle as she studied the picture.
“This was before you moved into the neighborhood, right?” she asked, pointing at the picture. Minhyuk glanced in her direction as he unpacked the snacks and beverages.
“Yeah, I guess so,” he said.
With the slightest of smiles still on her face she wandered over to him. “So, why’d we come all the way out here?” she asked.
“To get away,” he answered simply.
“Get away from what?” she asked.
“Reminders of the wedding,” he said, looking up at her with a raised eyebrow—as though the answer should have been obvious.
That’s when it hit her, she was supposed to be depressed over Minho—her supposed crush for more than half her life—tying the knot with another woman. fell open in a silent ‘oh’ as she turned away from him and looked around, wandering over to the couch.
“If that was the reason we could have just gone to my apartment,” she said as she sat down.
“We always go to your apartment. Plus, I thought a change of location would help take your mind off things,” he said. Aerin looked down at her feet and nodded.
Of course, it wasn’t because Minhyuk especially wanted to spend time with her. It was because he thought she’d be distraught over Minho getting married. He was trying to make her feel better and probably figured that she would have called him over to her apartment anyway, so he just preemptively made plans for them to get away.
He set a tray with snacks and drinks on the coffee table in front of her and sat down on the floor. “How are you holding up?” he asked as he grabbed a piece of beef jerky and lifted it to his lips.
“Okay, I guess,” the eldest said, glancing over at him awkwardly. “Hey, Minhyuk-ah,” she called to him, drawing his gaze to her. “Would you… help me get rid of something?” Aerin asked.
“What do you want to get rid of?” he asked. She bit her lip and grabbed her backpack, which she’d set down on the floor next to the couch when she entered. After digging around for a moment she pulled out a thick scrapbook, which Minhyuk immediately recognized.
“This,” she said as she ran her hand over the smooth cover and let out a heavy sigh. She’d taken it back home a few months before, when she’d started to realize how she felt about Minhyuk. Now she knew for certain that she didn’t need or want it anymore.
“Are you sure?” he asked and she nodded.
“I can’t hold onto it forever and today’s probably the best day to throw it away.”
He lit a fire for her and together, page by page, they burned the pages until all that was left were the front and back covers. She silently watched the last page curl in on itself and the flames around it brightened, growing more intense as the paper turned brown and then black. The picture on the page had been the one of Minho cooking, which—for some reason—she could clearly remember receiving on the day she discovered Minhyuk’s crush on Seolhyun.
As she watched the page become ash she could feel tears stinging at the back of her eyes. It wasn’t that she was sad to be losing something she’d cherished so dearly, but the fact that she realized that part of her life was completely over. It was like saying goodbye to a very dear friend that she knew she would never see again. Her vision blurred and she swallowed thickly, feeling tight—just like her heart as she watched the last piece of her adolescence turn to blackened dust.
Minhyuk’s hand felt cool against her cheek, which was very warm after being close to the fire. Her gaze snapped to him and his mouth was on hers within seconds. Slow and gentle. It was so natural for her to lift a hand and run it through the silky strands at the back of his head that she didn’t even realize when she’d done just that. Lowering herself onto her back, she pulled him down with her. They’d done it so many times before that there was no hesitation. Their hands ventured where they wanted. Their mouths kissed, , and the other’s skin as much as they desired.
He palmed her s through her dress while his tongue was like a fiery little snake as it moved along her jaw and neck. With nimble fingers he undid the buttons at the back of her neck and pushed the fabric aside, giving him better access to . When Minhyuk sat up he pulled Aerin with him, intending to remove her dress. She stopped him, though, her breath labored and her entire body tingling with desire. With half lidded eyes she stared into his eyes.
“Hyuk-ah,” she said, her lips nervously, her hands shaking as she held his shoulder firmly. The confusion in his eyes was evident as he stared at her, waiting for her to say something else. “You… You know that I’m a , right?” she asked, her cheeks feeling even hotter than when she was right next to the fire a few minutes ago. He nodded awkwardly. “Then… would you be my first?” she asked, dropping her gaze.
“Noona…” he started, though stopped, mulling over what to say. “Is this because of hyung?” he asked.
She shook her head and took in a deep breath, trying to calm her fraying nerves. “I’ve thought about it a lot and I just thought that if it has to be somebody then it should be someone I trust,” she explained.
“And that’s me?” he asked.
“Well it’s not like I have a lot of options,” she said.
“So… it’s because I’m your only option?” Minhyuk asked, tilting his head to get a look at her face.
Her face felt like it was on fire as she looked up at him with a glare. “If you don’t want to then just say so,” Aerin said huffily and pushed his shoulder. Standing up, she turned to storm away, but he grabbed her wrist.
“I didn’t say I wouldn’t, I just want to know why I’m the one that you chose,” he said.
‘I like you,’ she thought, however, what came out of was completely different. “There isn’t a special reason, I just figured that we’ve done stuff before that it wouldn’t be that big of a deal to go a step farther,” she said.
“Okay then,” he said.
Standing, the younger’s hand slid from her wrist to her palm and gently he pulled her toward the stairs. Minhyuk led her to the first bedroom atop the landing and, once the door closed softly behind them, he grabbed her face between his hands. Gentler than he’d ever been with her before, he kissed her, guiding her toward the bed as he did so. Once the back of her knees hit the mattress, sending the pair tumbling, neither left the confines of the blankets until the next morning.
“Uh… what is this place?” she asked.
“It’s my grandpa’s cabin. He comes here sometimes when he wants to get away from the city,” Minhyuk explained, reaching into the backseat for the bags of snacks and drinks they’d bought at a convenience store on the way. Aerin blinked, but followed his lead and grabbed their backpacks off the back passenger seat and made her way inside. Surprisingly the inside wasn’t all dusty, like she’d been expecting it to be. She guessed that it had been used, or at least cleaned, very recently.
When she looked around she saw pictures of various people she didn’t know, though there were a few of Minhyuk and Minho and their parents. There was one picture of Minhyuk, around two or three years old, sleeping on a young Minho’s back. She let out a small chuckle as she studied the picture.
“This was before you moved into the neighborhood, right?” she asked, pointing at the picture. Minhyuk glanced in her direction as he unpacked the snacks and beverages.
“Yeah, I guess so,” he said.
With the slightest of smiles still on her face she wandered over to him. “So, why’d we come all the way out here?” she asked.
“To get away,” he answered simply.
“Get away from what?” she asked.
“Reminders of the wedding,” he said, looking up at her with a raised eyebrow—as though the answer should have been obvious.
That’s when it hit her, she was supposed to be depressed over Minho—her supposed crush for more than half her life—tying the knot with another woman. fell open in a silent ‘oh’ as she turned away from him and looked around, wandering over to the couch.
“If that was the reason we could have just gone to my apartment,” she said as she sat down.
“We always go to your apartment. Plus, I thought a change of location would help take your mind off things,” he said. Aerin looked down at her feet and nodded.
Of course, it wasn’t because Minhyuk especially wanted to spend time with her. It was because he thought she’d be distraught over Minho getting married. He was trying to make her feel better and probably figured that she would have called him over to her apartment anyway, so he just preemptively made plans for them to get away.
He set a tray with snacks and drinks on the coffee table in front of her and sat down on the floor. “How are you holding up?” he asked as he grabbed a piece of beef jerky and lifted it to his lips.
“Okay, I guess,” the eldest said, glancing over at him awkwardly. “Hey, Minhyuk-ah,” she called to him, drawing his gaze to her. “Would you… help me get rid of something?” Aerin asked.
“What do you want to get rid of?” he asked. She bit her lip and grabbed her backpack, which she’d set down on the floor next to the couch when she entered. After digging around for a moment she pulled out a thick scrapbook, which Minhyuk immediately recognized.
“This,” she said as she ran her hand over the smooth cover and let out a heavy sigh. She’d taken it back home a few months before, when she’d started to realize how she felt about Minhyuk. Now she knew for certain that she didn’t need or want it anymore.
“Are you sure?” he asked and she nodded.
“I can’t hold onto it forever and today’s probably the best day to throw it away.”
He lit a fire for her and together, page by page, they burned the pages until all that was left were the front and back covers. She silently watched the last page curl in on itself and the flames around it brightened, growing more intense as the paper turned brown and then black. The picture on the page had been the one of Minho cooking, which—for some reason—she could clearly remember receiving on the day she discovered Minhyuk’s crush on Seolhyun.
As she watched the page become ash she could feel tears stinging at the back of her eyes. It wasn’t that she was sad to be losing something she’d cherished so dearly, but the fact that she realized that part of her life was completely over. It was like saying goodbye to a very dear friend that she knew she would never see again. Her vision blurred and she swallowed thickly, feeling tight—just like her heart as she watched the last piece of her adolescence turn to blackened dust.
Minhyuk’s hand felt cool against her cheek, which was very warm after being close to the fire. Her gaze snapped to him and his mouth was on hers within seconds. Slow and gentle. It was so natural for her to lift a hand and run it through the silky strands at the back of his head that she didn’t even realize when she’d done just that. Lowering herself onto her back, she pulled him down with her. They’d done it so many times before that there was no hesitation. Their hands ventured where they wanted. Their mouths kissed, , and the other’s skin as much as they desired.
He palmed her s through her dress while his tongue was like a fiery little snake as it moved along her jaw and neck. With nimble fingers he undid the buttons at the back of her neck and pushed the fabric aside, giving him better access to . When Minhyuk sat up he pulled Aerin with him, intending to remove her dress. She stopped him, though, her breath labored and her entire body tingling with desire. With half lidded eyes she stared into his eyes.
“Hyuk-ah,” she said, her lips nervously, her hands shaking as she held his shoulder firmly. The confusion in his eyes was evident as he stared at her, waiting for her to say something else. “You… You know that I’m a , right?” she asked, her cheeks feeling even hotter than when she was right next to the fire a few minutes ago. He nodded awkwardly. “Then… would you be my first?” she asked, dropping her gaze.
“Noona…” he started, though stopped, mulling over what to say. “Is this because of hyung?” he asked.
She shook her head and took in a deep breath, trying to calm her fraying nerves. “I’ve thought about it a lot and I just thought that if it has to be somebody then it should be someone I trust,” she explained.
“And that’s me?” he asked.
“Well it’s not like I have a lot of options,” she said.
“So… it’s because I’m your only option?” Minhyuk asked, tilting his head to get a look at her face.
Her face felt like it was on fire as she looked up at him with a glare. “If you don’t want to then just say so,” Aerin said huffily and pushed his shoulder. Standing up, she turned to storm away, but he grabbed her wrist.
“I didn’t say I wouldn’t, I just want to know why I’m the one that you chose,” he said.
‘I like you,’ she thought, however, what came out of was completely different. “There isn’t a special reason, I just figured that we’ve done stuff before that it wouldn’t be that big of a deal to go a step farther,” she said.
“Okay then,” he said.
Standing, the younger’s hand slid from her wrist to her palm and gently he pulled her toward the stairs. Minhyuk led her to the first bedroom atop the landing and, once the door closed softly behind them, he grabbed her face between his hands. Gentler than he’d ever been with her before, he kissed her, guiding her toward the bed as he did so. Once the back of her knees hit the mattress, sending the pair tumbling, neither left the confines of the blankets until the next morning.
The following Wednesday, Halloween, Aerin stood outside of a club in Hongdae. One of her friends from university was a part-time bartender at the club and she’d told Aerin about a Halloween party the establishment was going to be hosting. Aerin invited Minhyuk, thinking it was a good opportunity to spend more time with the younger, especially since she hadn’t seen him since Sunday—the day after Minho’s wedding.
However, when someone tapped her on the shoulder, the last thing she expected to see was a very tall woman standing behind her. She blinked, about ready to apologize for being in the way until she looked at the other’s face. Then she wasn’t able to stop the guffaws of laughter that escaped . Minhyuk gave her a deadpan look as he flipped the hair of his long, curly wig over his shoulder.
“Yah, Lee Minhyuk, what are you wearing?” she asked, wiping a tear from the corner of her eye.
“He lost the draw on the costume,” a man with cinnamon colored hair and dressed in a Gudetama kigurumi said.
“You say I lost, but I’m pretty sure I won,” Minhyuk said confidently.
“Dude, you have get hit on my at least five guys. If you don’t then you have to dress like that tomorrow and Friday,” the other man said, shaking his head with a ‘no ing thanks’ frown on his face.
Aerin watched the exchange with a look of amusement then shook her head. “You do realize that you look like a younger version of your mom, right?” she said, biting back a chuckle. He flipped the hair of his wig and huffed as he stormed inside. Aerin, no longer able to hold back her laughter, followed him while holding her stomach.
Once they were inside the club and sat at the bar, Minhyuk’s friend turned to her. “I’m Kihyun, by the way. Yoo Kihyun,” he said with a wide smile, doing his best to speak over the pulsing beat of the music.
“Hwang Aerin,” she returned with a wide smile.
“Rin-ah!” She heard over the music and turned her head to the figure behind the bar. Jaehwa greeted her with a bright smile and reached over to hold her hand. “Aww, you aren’t wearing a costume!” the other woman said with a small pout. “Why didn’t you dress up?”
“I don’t have a costume,” she replied with a shrug.
“Well that . Anyway, can I get you something to drink?” she asked. Aerin looked over at Minhyuk and Kihyun and motioned for them to give Jaehwa their orders.
A few minutes later Aerin was sipping on an amaretto sour while Minhyuk and Kihyun each had an amber colored drink—she assumed whiskey or something along those lines. It took around twenty minutes for the first guy to approach them. However, Minhyuk wasn’t his target. Aerin politely rejected the guy’s offer to buy her a drink, though he persistently shoved his number into her hands despite the rejection. Minhyuk glared at her and Aerin just smiled at him, waving the slip of paper in his face.
“I guess I’m prettier than you~” she teased in a singsong voice.
“That has nothing to do with it,” he said, stepping away from the bar and shoving Aerin closer to Kihyun, then taking her previous spot—so she stood between him and Kihyun. “It’s because to guys it looks like you’re the available one,” he said.
“I am available,” she said cheekily and he rolled his eyes.
Minhyuk’s theory proved to be correct though, as the next guy that approached leaned against the bar next to Minhyuk and gave him a very obvious onceover. Although Minhyuk rejected the guy’s offer to buy him a drink—or maybe it would be more appropriate to say he offered to buy Dior a drink, as that was the name Minhyuk gave his female persona—the man wouldn’t take no for an answer. Aerin and Kihyun were both very entertained watching Minhyuk struggle to get the guy to leave him alone. When he looked over at Aerin for help she stuck her tongue out at him, an obvious ‘deal with it yourself’ gesture. His pink tinted lips turned down into a frown and he turned to the man with a stern look.
“I’m not interested,” he said firmly and turned to grab Aerin’s arm and pull her closer to his side. “This is my girlfriend,” Minhyuk said.
The guy, who was slightly taller than Minhyuk, gave Aerin a once over then gave Minhyuk a look that said he obviously didn’t believe the claim. To prove his point his grabbed Aerin’s face between his hands and placed a long and heated kiss to her lips—which was over just as abruptly as it started, not giving the young woman a chance to react. When he pulled back, both the persistent man and Kihyun were gobsmacked. Dejectedly the stranger walked away while Kihyun just looked between Aerin and Minhyuk. Aerin’s face was pink and she covered . She shouted for Jaehwa and ordered another amaretto sour and downed it in three large gulps.
“Are you two dating?” Kihyun asked and Minhyuk shook his head in reply, downing the last bit of his drink before he grabbed Aerin’s wrist and pulled her to the dance floor.
“This is taking too long, let’s go dance,” he said, though stopped and turned to Kihyun. “If someone comes up and starts trying to dance with me then that’s the same as them hitting on me, got it?” he said. Kihyun rolled his eyes, but nodded as he waved Minhyuk away.
Dancing seemed to warrant faster results as they both made quite the provocative display as their bodies moved to the thumping beat of the music. Within a few minutes of being on the dance floor a man sidled up behind Minhyuk. She made eye contact with her childhood friend before he looked around for Kihyun—who was looking in their direction. When he saw the man behind Minhyuk, trying to grind his hips against his backside, the cinnamon haired man held up two fingers—signaling that counted as the second guy to hit on Minhyuk.
By way of escape Minhyuk pulled Aerin close to his body while stepping away from the guy that was grinding on him from behind. Despite the tall “woman’s” subtle rejection, the guy stepped forward and practically pressed the front of his body to Minhyuk’s back. Minhyuk had an obvious repulsed look on his face and tried to move away from the guy, but he—like the guy at the bar—was persistent. Aerin bit back a smile and reached around Minhyuk to push the guy away.
Taking Minhyuk’s move from the bar she turned them so the guy had a full view of the kiss she placed on Minhyuk’s lips. After a couple of seconds she looked over at the man with a pointed look that obvious told him to leave them alone. She saw the stunned look on his face, but he slunk away from them to find someone else to dance with. Aerin was going to break the kiss, at least until Minhyuk’s large hand tangled in the hair at the back of her head and held her fast against his lanky body. His lips slid against hers, tongue dancing across her bottom lip.
At the back of her mind she knew that to anyone looking at them that it looked like two girls making out, however she couldn’t bring herself to care. As the familiar scent of his sweet smelling cologne enveloped her, she was lost to the rest of the world. In that moment only she and Minhyuk existed and it was perfect. Although she wanted the moment to sweep them up and take them to forever and beyond she was not so lucky.
He broke the kiss and stared down at her and she stared back up at him. As she took in his appearance—the way the milk chocolate locks of the wig framed his face and the light bit of makeup on his face—she asked herself how she could be so attracted to him when he was dressed up and looking so convincingly like a woman. Aerin’s cheeks heated up and she felt the tingles of desire running through her body, which she was all too acquainted with. She wanted to feel more of him.
They danced for a few more songs and one man came up to them, getting between them so he could dance with Minhyuk, but Minhyuk swiftly danced around him and gave his full attention to Aerin. When a new song started playing Aerin pulled Minhyuk back to the bar to get some water—both panting and sweaty from dancing. Minhyuk told Kihyun that he only had two more guys left and had to have Aerin vouch for him as a witness that a second guy tried to grind on him while they were dancing. Kihyun, who’d been immersed in conversation with Jaehwa, hadn’t seen the second guy. Unfortunately for Minhyuk, the rest of the night was spent drinking and talking—the fact that he still needed to have two guys hit on him was completely forgotten.
They left the club at around two in the morning, Minhyuk only then realizing that he’d lost the bet because he got distracted, and caught a taxi back to Aerin’s apartment. He pouted as he trudged into her apartment and flopped face down on her sofa. She sniggered and shook her head at the younger’s dramatic display.
She prepared two glasses of honey water and set one on the table for Minhyuk with the simple command to drink it. He sat up and downed the sweetened water, Aerin taking the chance to sit on the couch—now that he was no longer taking up the entire length of it with his slim body.
“Noona, help me take this stuff of,” he said, pulling a long strand of hair from his mouth that was still attached to his wig. She smiled and pulled her phone out.
“Okay, but before that we should take some pictures,” she said.
“Do we have to?” he asked, pouting.
Aerin gave him a pleading look and jokingly reasoned, “If we don’t take pictures then I’m going to forget what my beautiful girlfriend Dior looks like.” He rolled his eyes and let out an exasperated groan, but complied with her request. She snapped a few pictures of them both and excitedly posted it to her online accounts with the caption, ‘Meet my beautiful girlfriend, Dior.’
She was a little surprised when he laid back down, resting his head on her lap. He closed his eyes and yawned, deciding to take a short nap while she finished posting pictures to her social media. The young woman couldn’t help staring at him, tracing the lines of his face with her eyes, her phone forgotten. It really amazed her how pretty he was. Unable to resist the temptation, she lifted a hand and brushed the fringe of his wig away from his brow.
“I love you,” she said without even realizing the words had come out. His eyes slowly opened and he turned to look at her.
“What?” he asked, though it was obvious he’d heard what she said. She bit her lip, her heart skipping a beat as she looked away.
“Let’s get ready for bed,” she said, lifting his head from her legs and standing up.
She helped him remove the wig and makeup and even gave him her baggiest set of sweatpants and a shirt to wear. When he finished showering she rushed into the bathroom, wanting nothing more than to avoid whatever he could possibly have to say. Hoping that if she took a long time bathing he would fall asleep, she stood under the spray until the water was nearly icy cold.
Exiting the bathroom, she could feel her heart in as she met Minhyuk’s deep chocolate gaze. When she made no move to say anything he let out a heavy sigh.
“We need to talk,” he said. She wished she could shrink herself and crawl under the nearest piece of furniture. Or maybe even have her stove spontaneously combust. She didn’t care what it was, she just wished for something to happen that would help her escape from him and the conversation she knew would include him rejecting her. “Noona, I—“ he started, but she quickly interrupted him. She wasn’t ready to hear it.
“I don’t expect you to like me back,” she quickly spat out. “I know you still love Seolhyun,”
The silence that settled between them was so palpable she was sure it could be cut with a knife. Her heart pounded against the inside of her ribcage as she stood awkwardly by the bathroom door. She twisted the towel she’d been using to dry her hair nervously between her hands while her stomach did summersaults.
“When did you start liking me?” Minhyuk asked, breaking through the silence.
“I don’t know exactly… but a few months at least,” Aerin answered, still not looking at him.
“I… don’t really know what to say,” the younger admitted.
“I don’t expect an answer or anything like that, I just…” she paused, swallowing thickly. “I wish that you’d give me a chance to help you forget Seolhyun,” the woman said. “I know it won’t be easy, but if you just try…” She finally lifted her gaze to look at him, however she couldn’t bring herself to even hope for the words she so desperately wanted to say; ‘if you just try then we can be together.’ Instead she dropped her eyes back to the floor and said, “Just think about it, okay? Your birthday is in a couple of days, so tell me then.” With that she briskly walked to her bedroom, but stopped in the doorway. “Come to bed when you’re tired,” she said.
However, despite the invitation, Minhyuk didn’t crawl under the covers with her and Aerin herself didn’t sleep at all that night. Her mind raced as she thought about what the younger could possibly be thinking. Then, when the sun began to rise, she heard him leave and her heart sank to the pit of her stomach as tears brimmed in her eyes.
Part of her felt—and feared—that would be the last time she would ever see Minhyuk again.
However, when someone tapped her on the shoulder, the last thing she expected to see was a very tall woman standing behind her. She blinked, about ready to apologize for being in the way until she looked at the other’s face. Then she wasn’t able to stop the guffaws of laughter that escaped . Minhyuk gave her a deadpan look as he flipped the hair of his long, curly wig over his shoulder.
“Yah, Lee Minhyuk, what are you wearing?” she asked, wiping a tear from the corner of her eye.
“He lost the draw on the costume,” a man with cinnamon colored hair and dressed in a Gudetama kigurumi said.
“You say I lost, but I’m pretty sure I won,” Minhyuk said confidently.
“Dude, you have get hit on my at least five guys. If you don’t then you have to dress like that tomorrow and Friday,” the other man said, shaking his head with a ‘no ing thanks’ frown on his face.
Aerin watched the exchange with a look of amusement then shook her head. “You do realize that you look like a younger version of your mom, right?” she said, biting back a chuckle. He flipped the hair of his wig and huffed as he stormed inside. Aerin, no longer able to hold back her laughter, followed him while holding her stomach.
Once they were inside the club and sat at the bar, Minhyuk’s friend turned to her. “I’m Kihyun, by the way. Yoo Kihyun,” he said with a wide smile, doing his best to speak over the pulsing beat of the music.
“Hwang Aerin,” she returned with a wide smile.
“Rin-ah!” She heard over the music and turned her head to the figure behind the bar. Jaehwa greeted her with a bright smile and reached over to hold her hand. “Aww, you aren’t wearing a costume!” the other woman said with a small pout. “Why didn’t you dress up?”
“I don’t have a costume,” she replied with a shrug.
“Well that . Anyway, can I get you something to drink?” she asked. Aerin looked over at Minhyuk and Kihyun and motioned for them to give Jaehwa their orders.
A few minutes later Aerin was sipping on an amaretto sour while Minhyuk and Kihyun each had an amber colored drink—she assumed whiskey or something along those lines. It took around twenty minutes for the first guy to approach them. However, Minhyuk wasn’t his target. Aerin politely rejected the guy’s offer to buy her a drink, though he persistently shoved his number into her hands despite the rejection. Minhyuk glared at her and Aerin just smiled at him, waving the slip of paper in his face.
“I guess I’m prettier than you~” she teased in a singsong voice.
“That has nothing to do with it,” he said, stepping away from the bar and shoving Aerin closer to Kihyun, then taking her previous spot—so she stood between him and Kihyun. “It’s because to guys it looks like you’re the available one,” he said.
“I am available,” she said cheekily and he rolled his eyes.
Minhyuk’s theory proved to be correct though, as the next guy that approached leaned against the bar next to Minhyuk and gave him a very obvious onceover. Although Minhyuk rejected the guy’s offer to buy him a drink—or maybe it would be more appropriate to say he offered to buy Dior a drink, as that was the name Minhyuk gave his female persona—the man wouldn’t take no for an answer. Aerin and Kihyun were both very entertained watching Minhyuk struggle to get the guy to leave him alone. When he looked over at Aerin for help she stuck her tongue out at him, an obvious ‘deal with it yourself’ gesture. His pink tinted lips turned down into a frown and he turned to the man with a stern look.
“I’m not interested,” he said firmly and turned to grab Aerin’s arm and pull her closer to his side. “This is my girlfriend,” Minhyuk said.
The guy, who was slightly taller than Minhyuk, gave Aerin a once over then gave Minhyuk a look that said he obviously didn’t believe the claim. To prove his point his grabbed Aerin’s face between his hands and placed a long and heated kiss to her lips—which was over just as abruptly as it started, not giving the young woman a chance to react. When he pulled back, both the persistent man and Kihyun were gobsmacked. Dejectedly the stranger walked away while Kihyun just looked between Aerin and Minhyuk. Aerin’s face was pink and she covered . She shouted for Jaehwa and ordered another amaretto sour and downed it in three large gulps.
“Are you two dating?” Kihyun asked and Minhyuk shook his head in reply, downing the last bit of his drink before he grabbed Aerin’s wrist and pulled her to the dance floor.
“This is taking too long, let’s go dance,” he said, though stopped and turned to Kihyun. “If someone comes up and starts trying to dance with me then that’s the same as them hitting on me, got it?” he said. Kihyun rolled his eyes, but nodded as he waved Minhyuk away.
Dancing seemed to warrant faster results as they both made quite the provocative display as their bodies moved to the thumping beat of the music. Within a few minutes of being on the dance floor a man sidled up behind Minhyuk. She made eye contact with her childhood friend before he looked around for Kihyun—who was looking in their direction. When he saw the man behind Minhyuk, trying to grind his hips against his backside, the cinnamon haired man held up two fingers—signaling that counted as the second guy to hit on Minhyuk.
By way of escape Minhyuk pulled Aerin close to his body while stepping away from the guy that was grinding on him from behind. Despite the tall “woman’s” subtle rejection, the guy stepped forward and practically pressed the front of his body to Minhyuk’s back. Minhyuk had an obvious repulsed look on his face and tried to move away from the guy, but he—like the guy at the bar—was persistent. Aerin bit back a smile and reached around Minhyuk to push the guy away.
Taking Minhyuk’s move from the bar she turned them so the guy had a full view of the kiss she placed on Minhyuk’s lips. After a couple of seconds she looked over at the man with a pointed look that obvious told him to leave them alone. She saw the stunned look on his face, but he slunk away from them to find someone else to dance with. Aerin was going to break the kiss, at least until Minhyuk’s large hand tangled in the hair at the back of her head and held her fast against his lanky body. His lips slid against hers, tongue dancing across her bottom lip.
At the back of her mind she knew that to anyone looking at them that it looked like two girls making out, however she couldn’t bring herself to care. As the familiar scent of his sweet smelling cologne enveloped her, she was lost to the rest of the world. In that moment only she and Minhyuk existed and it was perfect. Although she wanted the moment to sweep them up and take them to forever and beyond she was not so lucky.
He broke the kiss and stared down at her and she stared back up at him. As she took in his appearance—the way the milk chocolate locks of the wig framed his face and the light bit of makeup on his face—she asked herself how she could be so attracted to him when he was dressed up and looking so convincingly like a woman. Aerin’s cheeks heated up and she felt the tingles of desire running through her body, which she was all too acquainted with. She wanted to feel more of him.
They danced for a few more songs and one man came up to them, getting between them so he could dance with Minhyuk, but Minhyuk swiftly danced around him and gave his full attention to Aerin. When a new song started playing Aerin pulled Minhyuk back to the bar to get some water—both panting and sweaty from dancing. Minhyuk told Kihyun that he only had two more guys left and had to have Aerin vouch for him as a witness that a second guy tried to grind on him while they were dancing. Kihyun, who’d been immersed in conversation with Jaehwa, hadn’t seen the second guy. Unfortunately for Minhyuk, the rest of the night was spent drinking and talking—the fact that he still needed to have two guys hit on him was completely forgotten.
They left the club at around two in the morning, Minhyuk only then realizing that he’d lost the bet because he got distracted, and caught a taxi back to Aerin’s apartment. He pouted as he trudged into her apartment and flopped face down on her sofa. She sniggered and shook her head at the younger’s dramatic display.
She prepared two glasses of honey water and set one on the table for Minhyuk with the simple command to drink it. He sat up and downed the sweetened water, Aerin taking the chance to sit on the couch—now that he was no longer taking up the entire length of it with his slim body.
“Noona, help me take this stuff of,” he said, pulling a long strand of hair from his mouth that was still attached to his wig. She smiled and pulled her phone out.
“Okay, but before that we should take some pictures,” she said.
“Do we have to?” he asked, pouting.
Aerin gave him a pleading look and jokingly reasoned, “If we don’t take pictures then I’m going to forget what my beautiful girlfriend Dior looks like.” He rolled his eyes and let out an exasperated groan, but complied with her request. She snapped a few pictures of them both and excitedly posted it to her online accounts with the caption, ‘Meet my beautiful girlfriend, Dior.’
She was a little surprised when he laid back down, resting his head on her lap. He closed his eyes and yawned, deciding to take a short nap while she finished posting pictures to her social media. The young woman couldn’t help staring at him, tracing the lines of his face with her eyes, her phone forgotten. It really amazed her how pretty he was. Unable to resist the temptation, she lifted a hand and brushed the fringe of his wig away from his brow.
“I love you,” she said without even realizing the words had come out. His eyes slowly opened and he turned to look at her.
“What?” he asked, though it was obvious he’d heard what she said. She bit her lip, her heart skipping a beat as she looked away.
“Let’s get ready for bed,” she said, lifting his head from her legs and standing up.
She helped him remove the wig and makeup and even gave him her baggiest set of sweatpants and a shirt to wear. When he finished showering she rushed into the bathroom, wanting nothing more than to avoid whatever he could possibly have to say. Hoping that if she took a long time bathing he would fall asleep, she stood under the spray until the water was nearly icy cold.
Exiting the bathroom, she could feel her heart in as she met Minhyuk’s deep chocolate gaze. When she made no move to say anything he let out a heavy sigh.
“We need to talk,” he said. She wished she could shrink herself and crawl under the nearest piece of furniture. Or maybe even have her stove spontaneously combust. She didn’t care what it was, she just wished for something to happen that would help her escape from him and the conversation she knew would include him rejecting her. “Noona, I—“ he started, but she quickly interrupted him. She wasn’t ready to hear it.
“I don’t expect you to like me back,” she quickly spat out. “I know you still love Seolhyun,”
The silence that settled between them was so palpable she was sure it could be cut with a knife. Her heart pounded against the inside of her ribcage as she stood awkwardly by the bathroom door. She twisted the towel she’d been using to dry her hair nervously between her hands while her stomach did summersaults.
“When did you start liking me?” Minhyuk asked, breaking through the silence.
“I don’t know exactly… but a few months at least,” Aerin answered, still not looking at him.
“I… don’t really know what to say,” the younger admitted.
“I don’t expect an answer or anything like that, I just…” she paused, swallowing thickly. “I wish that you’d give me a chance to help you forget Seolhyun,” the woman said. “I know it won’t be easy, but if you just try…” She finally lifted her gaze to look at him, however she couldn’t bring herself to even hope for the words she so desperately wanted to say; ‘if you just try then we can be together.’ Instead she dropped her eyes back to the floor and said, “Just think about it, okay? Your birthday is in a couple of days, so tell me then.” With that she briskly walked to her bedroom, but stopped in the doorway. “Come to bed when you’re tired,” she said.
However, despite the invitation, Minhyuk didn’t crawl under the covers with her and Aerin herself didn’t sleep at all that night. Her mind raced as she thought about what the younger could possibly be thinking. Then, when the sun began to rise, she heard him leave and her heart sank to the pit of her stomach as tears brimmed in her eyes.
Part of her felt—and feared—that would be the last time she would ever see Minhyuk again.
AUTHOR'S WORDS
Here is chapter five! There is actually a scene at the cabin as well as at the club that I cut out, since this is the censored version. If you would like to read the uncensored version when it is available, then please support my crowdfund ^^. I will let everyone know when the uncensored/supporter version of the story is posted--which will likely be a month or so after this version is finished.
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and if you did I hope you will consider supporting me through AFF's crowdfunding feature (which you can join by clicking the green button that says 'Join BloodyRavens's Crowdfund' at the top of this chapter).
Thank you for reading!
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and if you did I hope you will consider supporting me through AFF's crowdfunding feature (which you can join by clicking the green button that says 'Join BloodyRavens's Crowdfund' at the top of this chapter).
Thank you for reading!
Mood : sleepy▪ Eargasm : SHAUN (Ft. CONOR MAYNARD) WAY BACK HOME ▪ Eyecandy : Lee Dior
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